Ordovician

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˌɔːdəʊˈvɪʃɪən/US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(ôr′də vish′ən)


WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
Or•do•vi•cian  (ôr′də vish′ən),USA pronunciation [Geol.]
adj. 
    1. Geologynoting or pertaining to a geologic period of the Paleozoic Era, from 500 million to 425 million years ago, notable for the advent of fish. See table at geologic time.

    n. 
    1. Geologythe Ordovician Period or System.
    • Latin) an ancient British tribe in north, northern Wales, where rocks characterizing the period were found; see -ian
    • after the Ordovices (plural) (1879

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
Ordovician /ˌɔːdəʊˈvɪʃɪən/ adj
  1. of, denoting, or formed in the second period of the Palaeozoic era, between the Cambrian and Silurian periods, which lasted for 45 000 000 years during which marine invertebrates flourished
 n
  1. the Ordovician ⇒ the Ordovician period or rock system
Etymology: 19th Century: from Latin Ordovices ancient Celtic tribe in N Wales
'Ordovician' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Silurian - chain coral - graptolite - ostracoderm - post-Ordovician

Forum discussions with the word(s) "Ordovician" in the title:


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